Iyalenu ni o je fun Gbade nigba ti o wo inu paali gala ti o n kiri ti kosi ri gbogbo owo to ti pa lataaro. Ninu okan re, o mo wipe palaba iya ni f’ohun nile. Akoko, iya Fadeke ko ni gbagbo wipe nise ni won ji owo naa.
O ree lati inu wa nigba to tun ranti wipe ounje ale ojo naa tunti bo. Ati wipe, sebi ko je taaro gan paapaa nitori esun ti iya Fadeke fi kan-an pe ko wule gba iyara oko oun lasiko. Ko ranti ojo to je ounje pe emeji depo depo eemeta to ye ki omo eniyan je.
Bee, ko kuku se bo se ri latile fun Gbade niyi. Iku b’olaje. Iku doro, iku s’eka, iku bu ikoro s’ohun to ndun fun Gbade ati awon obi re. Nise ni won n rin irin ajo lo fun isinku Baba iyaa re nigba ti oko agbepo kan ya kuro ni ona tire, ti o si subu lu oko ti o gbe awon obii re. Koda, oko metadilogbon ni o jona rau rau ni ojo naa.
Eleyi lo so di ero ile ebi lati igba ti awon obi re ti d’ero orun. Iya Fadeke ni won bi le baba Gbade, sugbon ko seni ti o mo wipe o ni iwa “bi ewure le ku ki o ku” ti o n hu si omodekunrin naa. Afi bi eni ara l’eru lowoo poku.
Araaro, ki o to lo ta Gala ni popona Masose, o gbodo gbale, pon omi, fo’so, dana, kosi tun we fun awon omo aburo baba re. Ninu gbogbo eyi, igbaju, iforun, ifoti ati agba d’ojude ni ore Gbade.
Aka, aimoye f’ebi sun, f’ebi kiri oja nitori awon esun alainilari ti won ma fi kan-an. Ile-Iwe ti di afi eyin t’egun nfi aso lati bi odun meta ti awon obi re ti ku.
Awole ati sokoto aburo bo si mi lorun ton wo ko ba’ra mu, beni ko de’le. Koseni to rii ti ko mo pe iya paraku njee. Gbogbo eyii ni Gbade ro, ti o fi d’orikodo nigba to ri wipe owo oja ti poora.
Bee, ibi ti won tin sa f’awon osise KAI to n yo won lenu ti won si ma nfi ipa gba oja lori won lo ti subu toun ti paali Gala. Ko mo wipe won ti yo owo lo nibi to ti ndu ki won ma te gbogbo Gala re m’ole. Nje ko bere gbe paali ni o ri wipe owo ti poora. Oun alara si ti mo wipe lilu koni to wiwo f’ohun looni.
Gbade ko wule se meji, o bere gbe paali gala e, osi m’ori le Ile. O ronu lokan ara re pe “Kinni anfani wipe mo sun ojo iya mi siwaju? Eekan l’omokunrin nku o jare. Iya l’ounje ajesun loni.” O ko ajaku bata to nwo s’abiya, o gbe paali really leri, o si mu ori le ona ona ile.
Atokere lo ti n gbo bi Iya Fadeke ti n p’ariwo: “Olori buruku omo. Oo le pa mi bi o se p’awon to bi e. Abi o lo wose won so fuun wipe emi ni mo wa ni’di oro aye re ni? Olosi ara re, ko kuku wulo fun ijoba, debi to ma wulo f’oyinbo. Ani ka tun saanu e, nse lotun fibi suu ni. Kaka ko somi d’oloriburuku bi tite, aa yaa tele awon to bi ni o!”
Aya Gbade la gaaraga, ko mo ohun ti o fe se. O gbiyanju lati ranti boya oun ko se ise oun pari k’oun to jade laaro, o mi ori ara re nitori gbogbo ise lo pari. Oju to gbe soke, iya Fadeke lori to fa pasan yo. Loba mere, odi lagilagi pada s’ona ibi ti o ti n bo. Bee ni iya Fadeke e nlee kikan kikan. Bee naa lon pariwo lo nfi epe kabiti kabiti sin-in.
B’otile je wipe o mo pe iya n duro de ohun fun owo ti o sonu, sugbon eleyii to nwo lowo yi baa leru. Ati wipe, ko si ounje ninu re lataaro to ti jade. Eyii lose f’ese fe.
Iberu ki iya Fadeke ma baa lowa lokan re bi o se nsare lo, bee lo nmi tupe tupe to si n fi okan gbadura wipe ko bo lowo iya ajeyo ti ale ojo naa.
O ranti igba ti o wa nile iwe bi o se je okan lara oludije fun idije ere sisa odoodun, to si je wipe gbogbo igba lo ma ngbegba oroke. Eyii paa lerin muse, o fi iseju akan kan gbagbe isoro e.
Ojiji ni Gbade yo si opopo ona Masose ti ko si mo wipe oun ti bo si agbede meji titi ohun. Ariwo fere oko ajagbe to ko timati ati ata rodo to nbo pelu ere asa pa’jude lo sooji to fi mo wipe gbagede aarin titi ni oun wa.
Asiko ko si fuun lati sa siwaju abi ko sa pada sona ibi to ti n bo. Iporuru yii ni okan e wa ti moto naa fi kan-an lara to si gbaa. Bi moto ti gbaa soke fio fio lo ranti oun ti iya Fadeke so koto bere si nii lee.
“E seun ti e mu ileri yin se lati ran mi lo ibi ti awon obi mi wa.” ni ironu re ki o to kan’le pada.
Ori lo mu wale taara, bee ni awon to wa ni tosi ki ikunle abiyamo ti won si nmi ori ti’banuje ti’banuje. N’ise ni iya Fadeke sa pada sile, laisopo pe ko duro wo omo egbon re bi o ku tabi o ye.
Bi emi se n bo lo lara re, o rii ti iya Fadeke n sa lo. O fe pariwo wipe ki awon ti o duro ran oun lowo, sugbon enu re ko la. Kaka ki won gbe, nise ni won n gbe ero ibanisoro won, ti won si fi n yaa ni foto. Omije bo loju re. O daa loju wipe ko ni pe mo ki o to lo ibi ti awon obi re lo. Iseju marun leyin eyi, o mi imi ikeyin. Omo orukan ti bo lowo iya, o ti lo darapo mo awon obii re.
The Orphan’s Journey
Gbade was shocked to discover that the money he made from the sales of Gala since daybreak, that he kept in the packet of Gala had disappeared. He knew immediately what fate awaited him at home. Iya Fadeke will not believe that the money was stolen.
His shoulders sagged as he realized that he would not be eating dinner tonight too. He did not even eat breakfast because iya Fadeke accused him of not sweeping her husband’s room on time. He could not remember the last time he ate twice in a day not to talk of thrice.
Things weren’t like that from the beginning. Death is the cause of all the hardship and pain he has had to put up with since his parents died. They had been on a journey to the village to attend the burial ceremony of his maternal grandfather when an oil tanker veered off its path and fell on their vehicle. Over twenty five vehicles had been burnt that day, including Gbade’s parents’.
Since then, he had had to live with his father’s younger sister and her husband. There was no way he could have known that three years after his parents’ death, he would be living in daily regret because of his aunt’s wicked ways towards him. He lived and worked like a cheap slave.
Every morning before he went to the highway to sell Gala, he would fetch water, wash clothes, do the dishes, cook and still bathe for the children. Still, what he got as appreciation for doing all these was slaps and beatings.
He had lost count of how many times he had been sent to bed without dinner and how many times he had had to leave home to sell Gala in the morning without breakfast because of pointless accusations. School had been a forgotten matter since his parents died 3 years ago.
His casual clothes and hand-me-downs were torn, unmatching and were humiliating, even for him. A look at him told anyone all his story; he lived and breathed suffering.
He remembered that it had to be while he was trying to avoid detection by operatives of the Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) – who, if they had caught him, would have seized his packet of Gala and bundled him into their van – that he fell. Someone must have removed the money from him when he was trying to pack the Gala on the floor. He knew what fate awaited him at home.
Mentally preparing himself for the worst, he picked up his packet of Gala and began his journey home. As he walked home, he thought to himself: “What’s the point of postponing something I will still have to deal with? A man dies but once. Beating is the only dinner for me tonight.” He picked up his torn slippers and walked faster.
He was still far from home when he started hearing iya Fadeke’s voice, shouting at the top of her voice: “Evil child! He can’t kill me the way he killed his parents. Or did he go to a seer and they told him I had a hand in his parents’ death? He is useless to himself, talkless of being useful to others. We are trying to help him out, he’s repaying us with evil. I’ll send him after his parents before he infects me with his ill luck.”
Hearing these, he became scared and confused. He tried to remember if he forgot to do any of his daily house chores before he left for the highway in the morning. He shook his head. No. He did everything. He was almost home now and looking up, he was greeted with the sight of iya Fadeke standing outside, holding a cane. He didn’t think twice; he turned back and took to his heels. Iya Fadeke dashed after him, flinging expletives after him as she ran to catch up with him.
Although he knew what fate awaited him over the money that was stolen, still, if he had waited for iya Fadeke, it would have been worse. He had not eaten anything since yesterday afternoon, but the fear of being caught by iya Fadeke kept him running, breathing heavily and praying that the cross of massive beating would pass over him.
As he ran, thoughts of days when he still attended school flashed in his mind. He was one of the best runners who always won during the yearly inter-house sports. A shadow of a smile formed briefly as he thought to himself that if he had run half as fast as he was doing now, he would be a national champion now.
Suddenly he burst into the middle of the highway. He was jolted back to reality by the loud horn of a truck carrying pepper, coming at full speed.
It was too late!
There was no time for him to dash back or run fast enough to avoid the oncoming truck. He stood rooted to the spot, his mouth open, too scared to move as he steeled himself for the impact. As the truck sent him tumbling in the air, he remembered iya Fadeke’s last threat to send him to join his parents. “Thank you for fulfilling your promise.”
He hit the ground with his head. Passersby screamed and shouted their sympathy. Iya Fadeke dashed back on seeing the collision. She did not wait to see if he lived or died.
As life seeped painfully out of him, he kept on watching till iya Fadeke disappeared completely out of sight. He wanted to shout and call on the onlookers to help him, but words failed him. He saw them taking pictures of him.
Tears flowed from his eyes. He knew it would not be long before he joined his parents. Five minutes later, he breathed his last. The orphan had left behind his pain and suffering and had gone to join his parents.